sewing lots

Mostly quilting.  I started out with the idea of doing a video of quilting with rulers on a vintage machine.  I got lots of stuff to put a video together, but this new tablet/laptop with windows 8 has been very difficult to put together with learning a new editing program and I haven't yet got it put together.  I also made video of machine darning, the one mending chore I actually enjoy (because it's so like free motion embroidery or quilting).

This was a pretty huge hole that will never rip again.  No patch to peel off.  The heavy build up of thread is stiffer than the surrounding area but the recipient was willing to trade that for keeping her favorite jeans.  I've seen a business online that repairs holes on jeans with thread build up matching the warp/weft of the original fabric.  It would be fun to be that good at it. 

Playing with the quilting and darning reminded me that the 201's foot pedal sticks after extended use.  I intend to buy a new pedal one day but decided to just switch out the feet with a machine I'll probably never use.  It's an old vibrating shuttle that works ok but isn't much joy to use- it is a pretty cute 3/4  size to look at with it's old godzilla finish.  6 minutes of work and the pedals were switched.  No further issues with the 201 if I want to zone and free motion for hours.  It would race and have to be pumped to stop.  The 201 is one fast machine anyway and racing is a pretty furious pace.  I have been enjoying having speed control again.

A warning to anyone who uses vintage machines and free motion quilts:  you may not want to use a supreme slider on an antique finish.  The gold crackling above was the result of having the slider on for about 1/2 hour of quilting on a little orphan block.  I noticed the paint flecks on the back of the slider before I saw the deck and was very shocked.  This machine isn't  most prized for it's paint and so I wasn't devastated but I won't be using the slider again on it.  I have not had any problem using the slider with newer machines.  Truthfully, I have never felt that it made that great a difference in ease.  When I have quilt dragging I stop and redistribute the weight and I'm happy. Likewise I have found the quilting gloves unnecessary.  Sometimes if my hands are dry and the fingertips don't seem to have enough grip I use a little of that stuff office people use to moisten fingertips for handling paper- works great and doesn't affect the fabric.  God knows this technique might not be great for a quilt that will never be washed and is being entered into some world class shows and then museum bound.  But for my purposes, it works great.



 

The last thing I have to say is goodbye to one slightly brutal winter.  I've lived on the shore of Delaware for 25 years now and never seen ice on the beach before.  It was cool for the experience, now I'm more than ready to move on to blossoms and the beginnings of fresh local produce. Yay, spring!

vintage fabric score (and more jamma's)

All fabric 50 cents! There was a big box at my local thrift store. 

It felt like looking into my mother's fabric stash, were she still alive and still keeping a stash.  I'm pretty sure I had a blouse made out of this in 1975.

 

This one really made my heart sing!  It looks to me like the old corelle casserole dishes, like a 1970's kitchen.  It puts old country and western songs playing in my head.

 

Here's another one that I'm sure I had a blouse made up of in the early early 70's.  Very sheer with those bars of almost entredeux like strips.



 

This looks home dec, but it is calico (quilt wieght) stuff, maybe with a bit of poly blend.   

 

An added bonus, not vintage but nice quality broadcloth yardage, $4 for about 7 yards of these two grays.

 

 

Of course, I feel guilty buying fabric at all, when I have a fairly large stash of stuff from the 80's all the way up to this winter, waiting to be made.  Including some cut out but not yet sewn pajama pants projects from christmas!  I have completed some, 6 of the requested 9.  After my shopping spree I got busy on the almost-last pair, and the only pair I was sewing from fleece.

 

The fleece was accidental. I bought all the flannel on line and of the two men's patterns, one turned out to be more feminine than I thought would be appreciated.  So I used the fleece, with some heavy cotton plaid from my stash for trim.

 

 

I quickly started to remember all those tips for working with fleece, like use a stretch stitch (plain zig zag is a good one) and stabilize for button holes.  That's what is happening above, any paper that is within reach I rip into size and use.  These button holes were not faced and the fleece is stretchy so I used paper above and below the fabric.  Works wonderfully, tears off easily.  You don't need an expensive tear away or wash away stabilizer unless you are working on your wedding dress or a baby's baptismal gown, any paper is fine.  Some other notions/gadgets I used were:

 

$1. thread snippers from the dollar store.  Performance beat the heck out of some I bought from a well known sewing company. Saves time for lots of pesky thread cutting over scissors.  The little bottle of fray check there is a favorite for button holes and many other sewing jobs.  I've used it for years, good stuff.

 

The quick turn fabric tube turner!  This was a first time for me, it is an inexpensive tool that I just never bought before because I have safety pins and know that trick, right?  And even if it was cheap, I can always spend those dollars somewhere else in a fabric store.  I've got those cute girl grands, and I figured I might be wanting to turn some spagetti straps.  There are a few different methods but I thought it was time to try this one, and I liked it. Invest if you promise 9 people drawstring jamma pants.  I did the other 8 pair without, no biggie but from now on, I've got my quick turn tube turner thing.



 

What's this? One of my longtime favorite notions, a soap sliver for marking fabric.  Preferably dried a day or two, then they last for months of marking.  Show up very well and duh, wash out.  This one was hard milled lavender, has the benefit of great fragrence everytime I pull it out.  I do have chalk markers and disappearing markers, but I love the soap best unless I'm working on very light fabric or need a precise fine line, like darts for a Barbie fine.  Otherwise, this works as good or better.

 

 

Only 2 more to go, and that Mom didn't want them until she moves into the house she's having built.  They might end up waiting until next year for sewing.  I'm ready for some other projects.